Low Nurse Staffing Essay

In less acute circumstances, long term outcome of understaffing can also be detrimental to patient condition. Often, when a staff member is overwhelmed with the workload, nursing actions which are perceived less critical may be pushed to the back burner. Debilitated patients may not be turned and repositioned resulting in hospital acquired pressure ulcers, which not only affects patient outcome, but also taxes the hospital

This is important evidence because it gives us conditions and results of what can happen if patients get lower quality care. Patients’ are not having enough time getting checked up by a nurse, and nurses would miss some diagnostics. Patients are getting sick because of the poor care they are receiving from nurses. The care patients can get is affected by a nurse shortage, “Nursing workload definitely affects the time that a nurse can allot to various tasks. Under a heavy workload, nurses may not have sufficient time to perform tasks that can have a direct effect on patient safety.

The idea remains that the dispersal of stable patients to MNAs in regards to medication administration allocates more time for RNs/ LPNs to prioritize care for critical patients. A stable patient is defined by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing as one “whose overall health status, as assessed by a licensed nurse, is at the expected baseline”. Research conducted by Randolph and Scott-Cawiezell revealed trends in medication errors prior to and following the integration of MNAs. “Before the introduction of medication aides, error rates were as follows: RN (11.55%) and LPN (10.12%) with a mean error rate of 10.4%.

Nursing Shortage According to Nictitas, Middaugh, and Aries (2106), nurses are the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and are indispensable when it comes to quality patient care, patient safety, and patient satisfaction. It is projected by 2020; there will be a shortage of over 500,000 nurses (Nictitas, Middaugh & Aries, 2016). A shortage of this magnitude will have a negative impact on our healthcare system. This paper will attempt to reflect on the issues that have resulted in the nursing shortage and discuss the future of the nursing profession.

how could one expect to receive proper treatment in hospital when your nurse has more than 8 patients to care for which could lead to higher chances of negligence due to sheer exhaustion from over worked nurses. The possibility of patient- procedure- equipment related accidents would be higher. The problem of understaffing could be looked from the perspective of

A report by the Agency for Healthcare and Quality in America projected that hospitals involving increased levels of Registered Nurse (RN) staffing showed decreased degrees of substandard patient outcomes and increased nurse staffing ratios were linked with a 2% to 25% decrease in substandard outcomes (Mark & Stanton, 2010). As a result, education on nurse staffing and the influence on quality of patient care warrants evidence based decision on existing and forthcoming practices. The influence of nurse staffing ratios on quality of care has been observed in four studies. Hospitals using decreased levels of nursing staff faced a 7% escalation in 30-day mortality and a 7% escalation in failure-to-rescue.

Nurses play an essential role in the healthcare industry. The nurse workforce is made up of licensed nurses: registered nurses (RNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), along with nurse aides. Registered nurses are responsible for assessments of patients’ needs, development of care plans, medication administration, and treatments, while licensed vocational nurses perform specific care under the delegation of the registered nurses and supervisions. Nursing aides perform activities of daily living (unskilled attention) to the patient. Adequate nursing staffing is essential to both patient care and outcomes, also to the retention of nurses while inadequate staffing creates problems for both the patients and

Large patient loads combined with a stressful work environment affects nurses’ abilities to provide quality healthcare. Patient safety should never be compromised. It is our responsibility to learn from research and improve our current nurse staffing ratios. Nurse staffing is key and affects all other outcomes. Without nurses administering the right treatment at the right time to the right patients, all other healthcare interventions are not effective. Improvement of nurse staffing levels will improve the quality of care our patients receive.

Due to hospital care reaching an all-time high in America, we need nurses now more than ever before. Currently in America, we have an issue with nurses having too many paperwork to fill out. In the article “We Need More Nurses” by Alexandra Robbins argues we need more nurses in the hospital. Nursing shortage has been a common issue throughout the world. Because of this issue others are being affected in many different ways.

State-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios remains a controversial topic in healthcare. Sufficient nurse staffing is key to ensure adequate patient care, while scarce staffing effects patients’ safety and puts nurses at risk for burnout. Determining nurse-to-patient ratios in nursing facilities remains a challenge for the nursing profession. There are many factors to consider when determining staffing methods, such as cost, nurses’ satisfaction, patient outcomes and safety. Mandating ratios is one attempt at ensuring nurses’ workloads do not exceed what is needed for adequate patient care and safety.

Nursing shortages are a problem, the patient ratios are too high. If a nurse has too much to handle the quality of care a patient receives is going to

Decision makers will need to determine how to best utilize nurses, technicians, and other professionals to close the gap in providing services to patients. Nurses require less time to train, are less expensive to train, cost less to employ, and can increase the efficiency and productivity of physicians who provide care to patients. The increase in the use of health care services as well as the increase in the number of venues where health care is provided has also increased the job opportunities for nurses and other members of the healthcare workforce. The demand for primary care services has stimulated the training of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse

The studies reviewed are: Medication errors: classification of seriousness, type, and of medications involved in the reports from a University Teaching Hospital (Dalmolin, Rotta, & Goldim, 2013), Types and causes of medication errors from nurse 's viewpoint (Cheragi, Manoocheri, Mohammadnejad, & Ehsani, 2013), and Prevalence and Nature of Medication Administration Errors in Health Care Settings: A Systematic Review of Direct Observational Evidence (Keers, Williams, Cooke, & Ashcroft, 2013). The remaining data reviewed consisted of peer reviewed articles, they were the following: The Effect of a Safe Zone on Nurse Interruptions, Distractions, and Medication Administration Errors (Yoder, Schadewald, & Dietrich, 2015), Celebrating Human Resilience to Provide Safe Care (Moffett & Moore, 2011), and A New Mindset for Quality and Safety: The QSEN Competencies Redefine Nurses ' Roles in Practice (Sherwood & Zomorodi,

As we transition into the new role of NPs, our scope of practice expands. Moreover, as our responsibilities increase, we later become policy makers, and develop autonomy and decision–making skills. NPs are responsible for providing safe nursing care with more specialized knowledge and advanced education. We are also responsible for pursuing continuing education and advanced knowledge to remain competent quality providers, and meet the needs of the community. With our acquired repertoire of skills, it is essential that we utilize them to make informed decisions and collaborate with our community to promote wellness and healthy living.

NU 413 Week 9 Discussion Board Post student response to Katie-Lynn Fournier by Kathryn Moultrie Good afternoon Kathie, Enjoyed reading your post, and seeing how other organizations handle the operations of their facility and nursing departments. My biggest concern with improving quality care and patient safety issues in that, the responsibility is not ours alone, our Chief Nurse Executives (CNEs) and Director of Nursing (DON), and senior nursing management staffs to lead the journey Disch J. (2008). I find it overwhelming that the majority of the research literature (studies, surveys and reports believe nursing plays the pivotal role in changing the face of health care and improving quality care and patient safety.